Encountering History

by
Toni Whaley

From the Editor: Toni Whaley is a member of the National Federation
of the Blind of Pennsylvania who has been doing some research in preparation
for our arrival in Philadelphia. Quoted material in the article is taken from
the National Park Service Web site. You can find more information at <http://www.nps.gov/inde/visit.html>.

As you read this article, keep these directional cues in mind:

· Unnumbered streets run east-west; some are one-way.

· All numbered streets run north-south, and their numbers increase
as you proceed west.

· Between Second and Thirteenth Streets traffic travels south on
all even-numbered streets and north on odd-numbered ones.

· Odd-numbered addresses are on the east side of numbered streets
and the north side of unnumbered ones.

Market Street is a north-south marker. Thus, 13 N. Fourth Street is
north of Market, and 13 S. Fourth Street is south of Market. Now learn something
about sight-seeing opportunities just around the corner from the Philadelphia
Marriott:

When you arrive at the Philadelphia Marriott Hotel in July, you will
be not only in the center of convention action but also in the center of Philadelphia
and USA history. In 1776 the Founding Fathers gathered only a few blocks from
our hotel to debate the wisdom of separating from England, to write the “Declaration
of Independence,” and to proclaim that independence publicly. Then eleven years
later these gentlemen reconvened in Philadelphia to debate and write our “Constitution.”
The area now called Independence Historical National Park is where these events
took place.

Independence Historical National Park is operated by the National Park
Service (NPS). The park contains approximately twenty buildings, which are
open to the public. Most of these are located in an area of Center City Philadelphia
bounded by Arch Street on the north, Second Street on the east, Spruce Street
on the south, and Ninth Street on the west. Space does not permit a discussion
of each of them. This article focuses on some of the buildings usually associated
with the struggle for independence. We hope the article will kindle a desire
to come to Philadelphia and encounter history.

Independence
Hall

(500-block
of Chestnut Street)

Begin your encounter with history at Independence Hall. According to
information on the NPS Web site, "Tours are offered on a first-come, first-served
basis. Tours begin in the East Wing of Independence Hall every fifteen minutes
between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. daily." There is no charge for these tours,
and no tickets are needed. You can then visit the West Wing of Independence
Hall to see the Great Essentials Exhibit.

Liberty
Bell Pavilion

(500-block
of Market Street)

View a ten-minute film to learn about the history of the Liberty Bell
and the myths surrounding it. The Liberty Bell, according to the film, "is
perhaps the most celebrated and misunderstood bell in the world. From its beginnings
in the Pennsylvania State House through its christening as the Liberty Bell
by the abolitionists in the nineteenth century, [the Liberty Bell] has continued
to inspire and remain relevant as a modern symbol of freedom."

Franklin
Court Museum

(300-block
of Market Street, also accessible from Chestnut Street)

This is a unique site. At street level you see a steel ghost structure
outlining the spot where Benjamin Franklin's house once stood. You'll also
see "restorations of five buildings, three of which Franklin had built
shortly after his return from France to be used as rental properties. These
buildings contain an eighteenth-century printing office, an architectural/archaeological
exhibit, an operating post office, and a postal museum. Exhibits are open year
round, though hours vary by season."

The museum itself is underground. It contains displays, interactive
exhibits, and a twenty-two-minute film entitled "The Real Ben Franklin."

If you are at the museum around 3:30 p.m., you can also view a ten-minute
film. You will learn about "Franklin's Glass Music" and "hear
a demonstration of the sound that captured the imagination of a generation,"
the Glass Harmonica. "Mozart and Beethoven composed for it, and Marie
Antoinette was a student of the fashionable instrument."

Declaration
House

(southwest
corner of Seventh and Market Streets)

Thomas Jefferson lived in this house during June and July of 1776. It
was here he penned the “Declaration of Independence.” A film about his stay
in Philadelphia is shown at 11:30 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

City
Tavern

(Second and
Walnut Streets)

Finally, encounter history and get a good meal at the same time at City
Tavern. The building is a reconstruction of the one that stood on this site
in 1776. It is an eighteenth century style tavern. Lunch and dinner are served
there daily.

We in
the National Federation of the Blind of Pennsylvania look forward to seeing
you in Philadelphia this summer. While you are here, we invite you to encounter
history and learn more about the issues and events that brought about the birth
of a nation and about the individuals who guided it during its infancy.